Cultures & Contexts: Japan

(4 Credits)

A general, comparative overview of Japanese culture, including both contemporary concerns and conditions and some of the fundamental historical transformations that “Japanese” culture has undergone. Proceeding in part chronologically and in part thematically, provides a sense of the shifts in cultural history and cultural categories (such as “family,” or the idea and effects of capitalism as a mode of social organization). Students gain both a comprehensive view of the changing forces that have shaped what we call Japanese culture, and also grounds on which to reflect on our own conditions that may or may not be comparable.